Two former Parramatta Eels players are accused of harbouring semi-automatic weapons and possessing more than half-a-million dollars in cash after dramatic arrests in Sydney's Centennial Park yesterday.

Job cuts cost patient lives: Qld nurses

The Queensland government denies its public health job cuts have put patients' lives at risk.

The Queensland Nurses Union has launched a series of radio and TV ads claiming the cuts have overburdened nurses and midwives and increased the likelihood of patient deaths.

But the health department says nurse numbers are up and has accused the union of playing politics.

QNU secretary Beth Mohle says Right to Information documents show the Newman government cut almost 5000 jobs in Queensland Health since the 2012 election, with 1800 of them being nurses or midwives.

"The ads are highlighting the fact we need to have mandated nurse-to-patient ratios to ensure that we have safe quality nursing and midwifery," Ms Mohle told AAP.

"The nurses featured on the ads say they have never seen staff morale so low and they're really concerned about the level of patient care that they can deliver because those who are left behind are having to do more with less."

Ms Mohle cited figures that showed each extra patient for a nurse's workload increased the patient mortality rate by seven per cent.